With the much-anticipated release of The Avengers just a week away, let's get our superhero juices flowing by looking at Superkid.
THREE PROS
*Shows your super kid that s/he doesn't know how to do everything just because her/his imagination validates certain whims (I especially liked the swimming example because that's a big fear of mine)
*In the second chapter there is a lesson on consequences that was particularly well thought out
*Our protagonist, Felix, demonstrates a strong empathetic streak toward those younger than him that never hurts for children to see
*Our protagonist, Felix, demonstrates a strong empathetic streak toward those younger than him that never hurts for children to see
THREE CONS
*Good god, there's more child-on-child violence in here than you'd find in any Edward James Olmos/ Michelle Pfeiffer/ Hilary Swank "good teacher in an inner-city school" movie
*Do children under seven really experience the cool versus uncool social strata to this degree -- from my recollection that doesn't start for a few more years
*Do children under seven really experience the cool versus uncool social strata to this degree -- from my recollection that doesn't start for a few more years
*Speaking of God, it was strange to hear the Almighty talk like a surfer -- but more troubling than that was the disconnect between Felix being the greatest kid He ever made in Heaven and the Felix we see throughout the rest of the story (I kept waiting for any of that "awesome sauce" to kick in)
ONE DAD'S OPINION
The hardest part of reviewing authors who contact me directly isn't assigning the eventual grade I give their work. That's actually kind of easy, since I trust that an honest assessment is irreproachable. No, the hardest part is stopping myself from over-weighting the pros as I read, so that I don't have to hurt someone's feelings when it comes time to write the review. In the case of Superkid, this was extra difficult because I knew very early on that it wasn't going to be my cup of tea. [We're talking 200 pages worth of self-control, people!] But I held strong and made it to the end without wavering. As soon as I read the last word, I knew this could only be a Donate, no matter what type of positive spin I tried to put on it. If you believe the first customer review on the book's Amazon page, this makes me a coldblooded and heartless villain. I really hope for my family's sake this is not the case...
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
ONE DAD'S OPINION
The hardest part of reviewing authors who contact me directly isn't assigning the eventual grade I give their work. That's actually kind of easy, since I trust that an honest assessment is irreproachable. No, the hardest part is stopping myself from over-weighting the pros as I read, so that I don't have to hurt someone's feelings when it comes time to write the review. In the case of Superkid, this was extra difficult because I knew very early on that it wasn't going to be my cup of tea. [We're talking 200 pages worth of self-control, people!] But I held strong and made it to the end without wavering. As soon as I read the last word, I knew this could only be a Donate, no matter what type of positive spin I tried to put on it. If you believe the first customer review on the book's Amazon page, this makes me a coldblooded and heartless villain. I really hope for my family's sake this is not the case...
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
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